The Combustion Profiles of the Lafia-Obi Coals: Implication for Electricity Power Generation

This paper aims to understand the combustion profiles of the coal samples in the Lafia-Obi axis, Middle Benue Trough (MBT), for consideration as a potential energy source for electricity power generation. Despite efforts and commitment from renewable energy sources to account for a significant share of the total electricity supply, coal remains the most important electricity-producing fuel globally. Currently, there is growing energy demand, as many industrialized and developing countries continue to rely on coal for electricity power generation in the next few decades to come. The Benue Trough is a failed arm of the triple ‘RRr’ junction of an inland sedimentary basin that extends in a NE-SW direction from the Gulf of Guinea in the south, to the Chad Basin in the north. A total of nine (9) grab coal samples were obtained from 3 coal localities in the Lafia-Obi environment, the proximate analysis was conducted on the coal samples using a Perkin Elmer Thermogravimetric Analyzer. The results show the coals have high volatile matter content, low ash yield, and high calorific value (21.97 MJ/Kg, on areal average). Ultimate data shows that Sulphur values are generally low (areal average of 0.90 %). Vitrinite reflectance measurements were carried out largely on petrographic pellet blocks revealing that they are generally dominated by vitrinite maceral, with an areal average of 80.6 % by volume (mineral-matter free). Lafia-Obi coal is a medium-rank C bituminous coal with high vitrinite and fusinite. The findings obtained from this paper show that the coals in the study area can be used for electricity power generation except for sample 01 with high ash content of 73.03 weight %.